Region misses mental health inpatient target

The data showed most areas failed to bring inpatient numbers down to the required level

Too many adults with a learning disability or autism are inpatients in mental health hospitals despite a drive to reduce numbers, a charity has said.

The government had "failed to meet its own target" to half the number and the majority of regions had not brought their figures down, Mencap said.

The latest NHS England data showed the North East and North Cumbria had the highest rate, the charity added.

The North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) said it was "working hard" to reduce long-term hospital care, while the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said it knew there was "more to do".

The NHS trust areas with the highest rates of inpatients with a learning disability or autism include Birmingham and Solihull, Lancashire and South Cumbria, Lincolnshire and Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.

Mencap said the data showed 2,045 people were still in mental health hospitals.

'Shockingly, actually increasing'

The rate in the North East and North Cumbria was 73 adult inpatients per million, with 68 in Birmingham and Solihull, 60 in Lancashire and South Cumbria, 58 in Lincolnshire, and 52 per million in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.

The government target for the end of March 2024 was an adult inpatient rate of no more than 30 per million adults, Mencap said.

"Shockingly, for nearly a third (31%) of local areas, their adult inpatient rates are not changing or are actually increasing, rather than going down," the charity said.

"Some, such as North Cumbria and Birmingham & Solihull, not only have the highest adult inpatient rate, but have increased their adult inpatient rate in recent years."

'Challenging'

The North East and North Cumbria ICB said it was "strongly committed" to helping people to live independently and worked with individuals and their families on support packages.

"Our region has a strong record of providing high quality specialised services for people with learning disabilities or autism," it said.

"This means people from other parts of the country often choose services in this area, which can make it challenging to find suitable local alternatives."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said the government was "committed to ensuring that autistic people and those with a learning disability" had the right support to "lead ordinary lives", which could be a "complex process".

They said the government had halved the number of people with a learning disability in mental health hospitals, but knew there was "more to do, particularly for autistic people".

"In 2023/24, we invested an additional £121m to improve community support, and we have set out to NHS bodies and local authorities, how they should work together to support people to be discharged from mental health inpatient services," they said.